Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,874 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,421 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $12,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ZTS. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Zoetis by 482.8% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Zoetis during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Zoetis in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Zoetis by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zoetis

In other Zoetis news, EVP Roxanne Lagano sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.18, for a total transaction of $55,804.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,757,196.26. This represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ZTS. StockNews.com upgraded Zoetis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $196.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Zoetis from $243.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Zoetis from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Leerink Partners began coverage on Zoetis in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ZTS stock opened at $171.70 on Tuesday. Zoetis Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.80 and a 52-week high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.89 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $176.66.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Zoetis had a net margin of 26.86% and a return on equity of 53.82%. The business had revenue of $2.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. On average, analysts predict that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Zoetis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.56%.

Zoetis Profile

Zoetis Inc engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of animal health medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products and services in the United States and internationally. The company commercializes products primarily across species, including livestock, such as cattle, swine, poultry, fish, and sheep and others; and companion animals comprising dogs, cats, and horses.